Construction on the State Street bridge over the Milwaukee River downtown is being put on hold until replacement parts arrive. Because of this and other delays, some are ready to put the project's contractor on probation.

The bridge reconstruction, started in June 2005, was scheduled for completion by November 2006. The project was pushed back six months to May but now won't be done until July.

Workers are waiting on a delivery of four steel girders that form the frame of the bridge. The girders were supposed to be delivered in January but by February only two of the four were on their way to Milwaukee, according to Cecilia Gilbert, spokeswoman for the city's Department of Public Works.

Gilbert also said the contractor, Zenith Tech Inc., has agreed to put the bridge on an accelerated schedule. Work will be done six days a week for 10 hours a day until the bridge is completed. Gilbert said the department hopes to open the bridge for pedestrians by early June.

"We are making every effort to try and achieve that," Gilbert said. "We know it's affecting the business community."

Ben Johnson, the bridge's project manager for Zenith Tech, said he expects the bridge to be open to traffic by July 9.

"We're still trying to do better than that," Johnson said. "But that's a realistic date."

Fourth District Alderman Bob Bauman said that while he understands the unforseen problems, the most recent delay was caused by "plain old non-performance."

Bauman said he plans on introducing a proposal April 17 that would bar Zenith Tech from doing business with the city for the next five years.

"Local businesses are suffering through no fault of their own," Bauman said. "Our citizens won't be walked over."

The state Department of Transportation handed Zenith Tech the project for a bid of over $11.6 million, according to Johnson. Extra work, including the late parts and other unforeseen problems, put the estimated final bill somewhere between $13 million and $14 million. But Gilbert said the price tag isn't set in stone, and the city isn't putting any money into the project.

Johnson said the Wisconsin Department of Transportation will make up the cost difference. He also said he believes the funding for the project is divided between state and federal sources. Johnson cited 80 percent of the funding coming from the department of transportation and 20 percent being covered by the federal highway funds.

"We're trying to get project done as quickly as possible because of impact on city and community," Johnson said.

The construction has affected businesses near the bridge.

Kate Erd, manager of the Spice House, 1031 N. Old World Third St., said business slowed a little when the construstion first began, but that the most affected were the restaurants that cater to the downtown lunch crowd. Erd said it was hard to judge the exact dollars lost with the construction, especially since the Marquette Interchange Project and other road work has gone on simultaneously.

"Any time you have construction it impacts business initially," Erd said.

According to Erd, the city has not notified her business of the delays and she has gotten most of her information from third parties.

The project's first delay came when workers found cracks in the bridge's trunnion bearings. The bearings help raise the bridge up and down.

"I don't think it would have put anyone in danger, but it would have affected the bridge's operation," Johnson said. "It's nothing that could have been discovered before we started taking it apart."

Gilbert called the construction a "bridge rehabilitation" because the site is on the register of historic places.

"We want to keep as much of the original work intact as possible," Gilbert said.

The bridge has been in operation since 1924.

"A lot of this project is being dictated by the historical society," Johnson said. "A lot of things have been done to meet their needs."